An Angel Gets His Halo
by Dawnmoon76
Summary: "Where is he?" Cas heard from the bathroom. "I gotta kiss him." There was a shuffle of fabric. "One the lips."/ Sam let out a soft, "eugh."/ There was a pause. "With my lips." Dean clarified./ AKA Trans guy Dean goes in for top surgery and loves his boyfriend (Human/College AU)


**AN: Starting the new year out gay, amirite? I don't believe any content warnings are needed, language doesn't get any stronger than, like, one "hell" so nothing worse than is on the show. Let me know otherwise.**

**I don't think it's explicitly mentioned but in my mind, this takes place winter break of their (Dean and Cas) junior(?) year of college. Sam and Dean are under the care of Bobby in Sioux. Mary is still gone (maybe a nondemonic house fire?). And there was no specific fate for John while I wrote this so make up whatever you please for him. **

Sam wanted to snap at Dean for the incessant leg bouncing but given that his brother was going to have top surgery that day he allowed it. He couldn't wait for Cas to come and calm down his boyfriend though. Bobby sighed once again, Sam could tell he was also trying his best to not snap at Dean. He was willing to bet that his anxiety now was worse than it would be if Dean was facing down a long flight.

He wouldn't put it past his brother to be nervous for someone else on a flight...like his boyfriend. Cas was supposed to fly down after his early final that day, Dean having finished up his finals earlier in the week. Any normal finals week they'd wait for whoever had the latest final and road trip home. But there had been no other surgery date, driving wouldn't be fast enough, and Dean was not about to step on a plane if he didn't have to. So Dean finished his last final, kissed Cas goodbye and drove down. Cas was due to fly in today at least two hours before the surgery.

Dean would glance at the microwave clock, take the tiniest sip of water (Sam was sure he wasn't actually consuming anything), before checking his watch, and glancing at his locked phone. Cas should be getting on the plane soon. It was only an hour flight plus about a thirty minute drive, but the alternative was an almost five-hour drive which would put him at arriving after the surgery was scheduled to start (ignoring the fact he didn't even have to car to make the drive in).

Dean's phone buzzed a split second before the screen lit up, displaying Cas's ID (Dean had put Cas in as 'Angel' in his contacts but, as they used another app to text, no one ever saw it). Dean let his phone buzz a couple of times, staring at it in confusion, before picking it up.

"Cas?" Sam watched his brother's face, his eyes widened slightly and his breath froze where it was.

"What's wrong?" Sam leaned forward slightly, setting his spoon in his bowl.

"I-I guess, yeah. I mean what else would you do?" Dean briefly met their eyes before staring at the ground again. "Uh-yeah." Pause, "Mhm."

"Mr. Singer, Sam." Cas's voice came through the speakerphone. Bobby rolled his eyes, no matter how many times he told the kid to just call him Bobby...

"What's going on, son?"

"My flight has been delayed. I'm not sure for how long but they're thinking an hour." He wouldn't make it in time. He was supposed to arrive two hours before Dean's scheduled time. But they had to drive an hour to get to the clinic. They were going to leave an hour and a half before surgery time. Cas wouldn't show up until half an hour after they left.

Sam and Bobby glanced at each other while Dean was staring at the phone in his hand. Sam knew how badly Dean wanted Cas there before he went under but it looked like it wasn't going to happen. Cas _might _make it right on time but knowing them something was going to delay him. His heart sank for his older brother. That just left the question of how Cas was going to get up to the clinic. The original plan was to have Bobby pick up Cas from the airport and leave Sam and Dean the Impala in case they got stuck in traffic, that way Dean wouldn't be late but Bobby and Cas would still get there before it started.

Without anyone saying anything, they all knew what the delayed flight meant. Sam thought through the scenarios.

"I can stay here and pick up Cas and follow you two up." Out of the two of them, it would probably be better if Bobby was with Dean. Despite almost being twenty-one, Sam was sure his brother would want an even adultier adult, their father figure, with him. Dean seemed ready to protest but Sam knew his brother and wasn't in any way hurt that he'd want their father with him.

"Uh, yeah." Dean agreed.

"Dean," despite being Dean's, well, _name_. Cas somehow made it sound like a pet name. "I'll be there when you wake up."

"Yea-" Dean looked away.

"Can you take me off speakerphone?"

Dean did so before walking out of the kitchen.

"That sucks." Bobby only shot him a look.

Dean stayed squirreled away for the entire hour Cas had before his new flight. Half an hour later and Sam left to pick up Cas, his arrival at the airport would correspond to Dean and Bobby leaving the house.

"Heya, Cas."

"Hello, Sam." Cas ducked into the passenger side of the Impala. Sam was mentally crossing his fingers that they wouldn't run into any snags on the way to the clinic and if he sped (just a little!) that they would make it a least a few minutes earlier.

They were half an hour away, well, _should _have been a half-hour away if it weren't for the _traffic_. He uncrossed his mental fingers and resigned himself to the fact they weren't going to get there on time. Cas's phone rang.

Sam turned down the already quiet music.

"Dean," there he goes again with the non-pet name...name.

"Hey, babe." Sam could faintly hear Dean. His brother must have been alone on his side of the call since he never uses any kind of pet name within earshot of others. "We've arrived and checked in. Where are you at?" The faint curl of Cas's lips at the pet name disappeared as he glanced over. Sam pulled a face trying to come up a time.

"I'm putting you on speakerphone."

"Hey, Sammy. How far out are you guys?"

"Hey, Dean. Uh, traffic isn't great. I'd say anywhere between forty-five minutes to an hour."

"Oh, alright. Heh. I guess I'll see you when I wake up then."

"Dean-" Cas pulled the phone closer.

"It's alright. Just get here safe. Glad you didn't go down in that death trap of a metal tube."

"I'm fine Dean, I'm sitting in the Impala now."

"And Baby will take good care of you." Sam stand corrected, Dean _does _use pet names in front of other people but only for the Impala. It made Sam feel good to know that Dean trusted him to drive the Impala. Over breaks and summers, he's also been helping Sam fix up a car for his own. It helps that Bobby owns a salvage yard.

"That she will." Cas agreed easily.

"Well, I should go, there's a sign staring me in the face about cell phone usage but I wanted to check-in." Neither man in the Impala was going to question why he didn't just text. Undoubtedly he wanted to hear his boyfriend's voice one more time.

"See ya, Dean."

"See ya."

Cas turned off speakerphone. "I'll be there when you wake up. I love you." Cas clicked the volume down on his phone. Dean probably asking along the lines of if Sam could still hear him. "No." With that confirmation, Dean returned the sentiment. "Goodbye."

"Man, I feel bad about not being there. You should have seen him this morning, he was nervous. Did you ever find out why the flight was delayed?"

"I knew when I called Dean. It was some mechanical issue they wanted to look at."

"Oh," Sam muttered as he glanced behind to change lanes. "I can see why you wouldn't tell Dean." Had Dean known this information his anxiety would have gotten worse, even though Sam wasn't sure it _could_ at this point. Any 'mechanical issue' would be taken as a guaranteed crash in Dean's mind.

As the time ticked past Dean's surgery time the urgency that had been egging Sam on drained out of him. At this point, he just wanted to get there. Thirty minutes later they passed a wreck and it was smooth sailing from there, which was still another twenty minutes out. He had to assume the crash happened sometime after Dean passed since his brother made it on time.

They wandered in and found Bobby reading a book.

"Hey, Bobby."

"Ya idgits finally made it huh?" The older man smiled.

"Yeah, how was he?"

"Nervous as hell and desperately trying to hide it."

"I should have been here." Cas shook his head grimly.

"Lighten up, kid." Bobby clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "There was nothin' you coulda done." The corner of Cas's mouth ticked up and he ducked his head slightly.

Then they settled in to wait. Sam tried to curl the entirety of his lanky nearly six foot frame into the chair, ending up taking two and putting his back to sleep against one of the armrests. Dean still sometimes grumbled at him to stop growing as he was quickly approaching his brother's height. Although Dean still preened at the fact he was above six foot _and _taller than his boyfriend. A fact that doesn't bother Cas in the slightest and actually puts a smile on his face whenever Dean brings it up because it makes him so happy.

Cas and Bobby sat like normal people in their chairs. Cas seemed content to absently fiddle with his phone while staring off into space. Sometimes he blinked back to himself and tried to distract himself with his phone.

It was three and a half hours before someone came to get them. Gathering the family of three the nurse took them to Dean's room, informing them that they were bringing him up soon. Cas stood by the window to stay out of the way for when Dean arrived.

Dean was slightly upright in his bed, looking sleepy and dazed. After the bed was parked a number of people left the room, only one person was left to check Dean's vitals.

"He might be a bit loopy coming out of anesthesia, just as a warning. But it's normal and will wear off in the coming hours." He said to the room at large, glancing between the three other men in the room. "Alright," he said, straightening, "everything seems to be in order. Someone will be by to check on him again but he should be good to go later in the evening. If you need anything the call button is right here."

"Thank you." Bobby nodded.

"Dean, how are you feeling?" Cas stepped forward, reaching for his boyfriend's hand.

"Mm?" Dean rolled his head back and forth a little before turning to face Cas, eyes still closed. Cas chuckled.

"On the good stuff, huh?" Sam piped up, smiling at the foot of the bed.

"Mm. Mhm." Dean bobbed his head. He finally squinted his eyes open letting out another hum. "Ange-elle." Dean murmured, blinking sluggishly at Cas who blinked once in surprise before ducking his head, trying to hide the heat in his cheeks. "You gotsta halo. Pretty angel." His 'g' slurred to sound more like a soft 'j'. They were briefly confused before realizing that the sun was setting in the window behind Cas, lighting him up from behind. "Pretty, pretty, ang...el. Heh." Dean mumbled out before promptly falling asleep.

The pet name had come from their first meeting. They had met freshman year at a Halloween party. Well, _after _a Halloween party. Dean had drunk a little too much and had lost his balance as he walked back to his dorm, he had lost his friends somewhere in the depths of the party. Cas had been walking behind him, on his way back to the same dorm, just a different floor.

Dean had tripped and knocked his head pretty badly, Cas rushed forward to help. He had been wearing angel wings, having lost his halo after setting it down somewhere.

"Huh, you my guardian angel?" Dean had slurred up at the other boy.

"What? No. Are you okay?"

"Now that you're here I am."

"You're bleeding." Cas had observed. He pulled out a wad of unused tissues from his cold the previous week, pressing it to the blood. The lighting outside was abysmal but he hoped he was pressing on the wound. Dean's hiss reassured him that he was.

Dean barely remembers that night, Cas had taken him to the emergency room, while Dean ceaselessly flirted with him, who was, at the time, a total stranger. Cas vaguely remembers Dean mentioning his lack of halo at some point in the night.

Present day, Cas smiled down at his boyfriend. It was nice to see him so relaxed. Dean drifted in and out of consciousness. Each consecutive awakening he seemed more coherent and had a stronger brain to mouth filter. His declarations of love and shower of compliments trickled out in favor of just staring at Cas with heart eyes. Sam found it hilarious and was able to film the third and fourth time Dean woke up. Bobby tried to hid his gruff smile whenever he saw Dean melt. Cas, of course, was embarrassed at the shower of affection. Neither of them were really prone to emotional outbursts (except perhaps anger), nor was there a lot of PDA.

At one point Sam had to hold Dean down as he tried to struggle out of bed to find Cas who had gone to the bathroom. "Where is he?" Cas heard from the bathroom. "I gotta kiss him." There was a shuffle of fabric. "One the lips."

Sam let out a soft, "eugh."

There was a pause. "With my lips." Dean clarified.

Bobby huffed. "Settle down ya idgit. Your angel will be right back."

"Good." Cas could easily picture the faux serious nod as Dean settled back into bed. "When?"

"How about now?" Cas said stepping out of the bathroom.

"Cas!" Dean made grabby hands.

Dean was eventually discharged and coherent. He slept through most of the drive back, leaning against Cas's shoulder as he drove them back in the Impala, Sam and Bobby in Bobby's truck.

"I'm so happy," Dean muttered into Cas's shoulder. He slightly startled Cas who thought he was asleep.

"That's good." He desperately wanted to stroke Dean's hair but kept both hands on the wheel.

"I love you, angel." He let out a sleepy sigh.

"I love you too...human." Cas smiled at Dean's resulting snort.

**AN: I really wanted to have some cute nickname from Cas for Dean but that just didn't seem in character to me. I'll tell ya I got momentarily lost when trying to plan the times and such. I didn't want to mention specific times in the fic bc I wasn't sure if there _were _specific times top surgery is usually scheduled. **

**I tried to do the math so that Sam was old enough to drive. Since this happens in December Dean's 21st hasn't happened yet, therefore Sam would be 16. According to google, South Dakota law would allow Sam to drive Cas. (Other states have passenger rules for freshly licensed drivers.)**

**Even though they live in South Dakota all travel times are based on my own state. **

**Anyway, please leave a review! **

**~Dawn**


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